DESERT CENTER: 100 gallons of diesel spilled after big-rig, RV crash

DESERT CENTER — Fire and environmental health officials spent just over an hour stopping a large fuel spill after a semi-truck and motor home collided Wednesday night, Mar. 27. Caltrans workers then spent about two additional hours cleaning up about 100 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled onto eastbound Interstate 10, west of Eagle Mountain Road, in Desert Center. 

Emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene just before 7:20 p.m., after receiving reports of a traffic collision, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokesperson April Newman explained in an incident report.

“The first arriving engine company reported a non-injury traffic collision with a 100 gallon diesel fuel spill,” Newman explained shortly after firefighters arrived at the scene.

Based on the circumstances, Riverside County Environmental Health officials also responded to oversee and assist in mitigating the spill and subsequent clean up efforts.

Firefighters successfully mitigated the fuel leak shortly before 8:30 p.m., according to Newman. CHP officials oversaw the remainder of the clean up efforts and firefighters remained on scene until the clean up was completed.

There were no reported injuries related to the accident or subsequent clean up, according to Newman.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.